Monica Oregon

Massacre

How long until another death causes a protest?

Dear future President,

When your spouse dies, you become a widower. When a child is abandoned they become an orphan. Yet when a mother loses their child there is no word to define a loss because there is no definition to describe this unbearable pain. The minimum requirement for a police officer is a high school diploma yet even if they were to go to college they still have a philosophical mind set to be trained to kill.

In statistical matters it is said that 98% of brutality done by officers will not be striped from their badge or position, thus accounting that if you are a person of color especially black you are three times more likely to be shot rather than a white person. I understand that,”All lives matter” but for now in this case we need to focus on ‘Black Lives Matter” especially in the uprising movement that has caused a powerful move in this nation. Yet how long will it take until another live is taken away that we realize that this nation is corrupt by racism that is still lurking in the dept of America?

The next time you sing along to the national anthem I want you to pay attention to what the lyrics say, I want you to find out why we don’t sing the full anthem (not just because it’s long.). I’ve seen all my life that people say they’re not racist because maybe they have a friend of color but that isn’t an excuse to why you were to clutch your handbag tighter while you’re on the bus. In fact in 2015 the statistics show that 470 people have been killed so far by police brutality. I may not be white nor black but I know damn well what it’s like to feel when your family member is shot by a police officer, now i’m not talking about whether they were innocent or not but I know that no matter what I do they will never come back to live a fulfilled life.

Money wouldn't fix the situation nor would more security fix the protection of citizens, I think that if you just hear what the people have to say for themselves and get an idea of what they want for this nation; then maybe we can fix the situation little by little. We may have come far to defeat segregation but there’s still more to battle since racism is still a daily impact for citizens.

Look, I know you may not be able to understand what it’s like to feel like a person of color. I mean after all, you were blessed to be white and rich with hundreds of people admiring you. In fact I find it funny how white people tend to say they don’t like being white, when I know damn well that they really may find it fortunate deep down inside of themselves because they’re so privileged at almost anything in the world.

“Death is nothing, but to live defeated & inglorious is to die daily.”~Napoleon Bonaparte. We shouldn’t fear death but accept it, yet when our lives are taken by others we can’t help but riot for our human rights to the point where others sacrifice a bit of themselves. I bleed and you bleed. I cry and you cry. I will die and you will die. This was never about one person making it to the top and to have power, but to have equity.

Links: https://mic.com/articles/129981/10-police-brutality-statistics-that-are-absolutely-shocking#.w7VjMrMpv

https://mic.com/articles/119970/25-actual-facts-about-police-brutality-in-america#.fBlNY8Woq


Jefferson HS

Jefferson HS Students

10th,11th, and 12th grade students at Jefferson HS in Portland Oregon.

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